The Digital Marketing Blog

Email: The Golden Ticket For Golden Age Customers

The myth remains that digital messaging won’t reach people older than their 30s.

Smart marketers know this isn’t true. A while ago I wrote about an elderly blogger’s surprising success. Want more proof that digital messages are effective with older consumers? BIGresearch says that 51.9 percent of people age 45-54 like to use email to communicate with others about products; that figure jumps to 53.4 percent for those ages 55-64 and 53.7 percent for those ages 65 and older. And a joint survey by ThirdAge and JWT Boom shows that the baby boomer age group is “also open to both traditional marketing and emarketing, as long as the message is coming from a brand they know and trust,” JWT BOOM President Lori Bitter says.

So yes, to reach the age group that came of age way back in the ’60s, marketers need to think about email. Here are some ideas:

Hair services. A hair stylist acquaintance once told me, “You’ll never go hungry if you know how to cut hair.” That’s because even during a recession, people need basic maintenance on their heads. Plus it’s an affordable luxury, a treat for those either suffering from the economy or on a fixed income. So hair salons and barber shops might want to send coupons to customers who’ve opted in to receive emails.

Grocery stores. Everyone needs to eat. Besides getting brand coupons, shoppers with a limited budget would also patronize a store that gave them, say, a percentage or dollar-amount off their entire purchase. mobileStorm Coupon Management can help you decide what kind of specials to offer.

Local coffeehouses. People who don’t have a full-time job, such as retirees, like to hang out at their local coffeehouse. They can chill out with friends, read with their trusty dog at their side, or use the free Wi-Fi or computer to go online–and check email. Imagine how willing they’d be to part with an extra few bucks if they got an email good for a reduced-price latte at the coffeehouse where they happen to already be!

Anyone have any campaigns they implemented–or that they enjoyed as a consumer–that were targeted at boomers?